1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of sperm collection and artificial insemination, and more particularly, a method of collecting sperm samples from, and artificially inseminating, small bird breeds.
2. Description of Related Art
Artificial insemination in larger bird species, such as cranes, has been used successfully by zoos and conservation breeding centers as a technique to save endangered species of birds. Due to the loss of habitat, changes in environment, etc., the process of artificial insemination is crucial to the survival of various species of birds. Allowing the reproduction process to occur naturally, i.e., through natural mating, can present a number of obstacles to a successful propagation of the particular species. For example, in order to successfully mate a male bird and a female bird, i.e., a hen, a pair bond must first be established. Otherwise, there is a lack of breeding performance. Further, prior to establishing the pair bond, the birds are apt to fight with one another, thus further hindering the breeding process. Furthermore, even if the birds do breed, there is the possibility that the eggs may not be fertilized. In addition, when a bird is required to be moved a long distance to be in physical proximity to an intended mate, the process can be expensive and both distressing and possibly life-threatening for the bird being moved. Also, some countries have restrictive export and import controls on live birds, particularly for rare breeds that are most desirable for breeding purposes, and most countries have expensive and time-consuming quarantine requirements. In many cases moving a bird to a distant location requires that it acclimatize to a new environment and food, which can be distressing and life-threatening.
Artificial insemination in larger bird species such as chickens and turkeys has been used successfully in the agricultural industry to assure a high probability of timely fertilization of hens resulting in the predictability and efficiency of chick production required for the industry.
In addition to preventing extinction, and increasing breeding predictability in an agricultural environment, artificial insemination is a viable alternative to natural breeding to propagate desirable and highly selective features of a particular bird breed. This is especially true for small bird species, such as canaries and finches that are owned and bred by individuals for whom fine distinctions in such features have great value. However, artificial insemination techniques used for larger breed birds, such as the cranes, chickens and turkeys discussed previously is achieved using a method of sperm collection that is not applicable to small bird species. Small bird species present a particularly unique set of issues with regard to artificial insemination due to their size. First of all, due to the extremely small size of semen samples from small bird species, the semen dehydrates during the collection process, thus making most, or all, of the sperm sample unusable. Additionally, the current techniques used for artificially inseminating small breed birds are harsh and inhumane. Typically, an insemination device is forcefully inserted into and removed repeatedly from the cloaca of the male bird to attempt to collect a sperm sample. The same pipette is then inserted and removed repeatedly from the female's reproductive organ in an attempt to introduce semen into the female's reproductive tract. This method of insemination is not only ineffective due to the dehydration of the sperm sample in the tube and contamination of the sperm sample with lymph fluid released as a consequence of damage to the cloacal area of the male during extraction of the sperm, but is both mentally and physically damaging to both the male and the hen.
In an effort to curtail issues and obstacles in the breeding process of small breed birds, it is essential to develop an alternative method of propagation of these species. Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a method of semen collection from, and artificial insemination of, small breed birds that ensures successful insemination in an effective and humane manner.